Magnetic block toy

ABSTRACT

A magnetic block toy, more specifically, a magnetic block toy which secures mating spots of magnets at the planes of blocks to be combined by extending a travel segment of a magnet to the plane of a block with increased magnetic Gauss level by exposing part of a casing that covers outer surface of the magnet, and provides audible effects during play. For this purpose, the present disclosure incorporates a partially exposed cylindrical magnet with a longitudinal open groove in the casing and a guide pin formed at both right and left sides of the casing. Sound is produced by the inserted guide pin of the casing in a first guide groove and a second guide groove of a plane block or a cube block when it contacts the first guide groove and the second guide groove upon the movement of the magnet.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure describes a magnetic block toy, more specifically, amagnetic block toy which secures a mating point of magnets at planes ofblocks to be combined by extending a travel segment of a magnet to theplane of a block with greater magnet Gauss level by exposing part of thecasing that covers outer surface of the magnet. The mating of magnetsalso provides an audible effect during play.

BACKGROUND

A block toy—a sort of a plaything for an infant or a child—can beconstructed into a user intended specific form of structure byassembling components comprising multiple units called as a block (or abrick).

In general, a block toy, through constructing a user intended specificstructure in multiple combinations of blocks that are unit components ofsimple form in itself, not only provides a sense of achievement inbuilding something intended and the pleasure in the course ofassembling, but also contributes favorable effects of improvingrecognition ability, developing small and large muscles, and developingphysical coordination.

The simplest form of this block toy is comprised to be used for pilingblocks of many different solid shapes such as poly-prisms, cylinders,poly-pyramids, cones, and multi-angle panels of wood or other lightmaterials.

However, a structure created with hard effort suffers from theshortcoming of being easily collapsed by a weak impact from outside,since a block toy with block components has no means to lock combinedblocks to each other.

Magnetic block toys were designed using a magnet for mating each blockby incorporating a magnet into a unit block having a solid form. A briefglance at its configuration reveals that it incorporates a magnet at themiddle of the edge mating surfaces of a block and those blocks can becombined to build an intended form.

A block toy using a magnet as above has the advantage of mating blockseasily; however, it has the drawback of lowered combining power and oflimited variation in shaping forms due to having a fixed magnet at theedge of the block and being unable to move.

Furthermore, even using a 3000 Gauss magnet commonly used for magnetblock toys, only 1800 Gauss acts because the magnet is enclosed in theblock. It is not advantageous to lower the combining power betweenblocks and to increase the cost for bigger magnet to make up thecombining power.

Besides, this sort of magnet block toy does not give any sound effectwhen combining blocks, which may reduce the effectiveness of playingwith building blocks.

Korean Public utility model No. 20-008999 (Block-type magnet play toy)and Korean Public patent No. 10-0097088 (Magnet block toy composed ofmagnet block components.) describe magnetic block toys.

SUMMARY

The blocks of the present disclosure were designed considering theexisting problems stated above. The present disclosure aims to provide amagnet block toy that saves cost by reducing the size of a magnet aswell as enhances the combining power by increasing magnetic Gauss levelsby exposing part of a casing which covers the outer surface of themagnet.

Another purpose of the disclosure is to provide a magnet block toy thatallows the direction of mating blocks to be set freely by securing amating point of a magnet with an extended travel segment of a magnet tothe plane of a block when mating planes between blocks.

Another purpose of the disclosure is to provide a magnet block toy thatyields an audio play effect by producing a traveling sound of a magnetwhen the magnet travels.

As a means to achieve the above purposes, the present disclosureincorporates a partially exposed cylindrical magnet in a casing having alongitudinal open groove in the casing with a guide pin formed both atright and left sides of the casing. The guide pin of the casing isinserted into a first guide groove and a second guide groove of a planeblock or a cube block. Below are the basic characteristics of thetechnical configuration. First, sound is produced when the insertedguide pin of the casing is placed in contact with the first guide grooveand the second guide groove when the magnet moves.

Second, in a cube block, a travel space is formed at the middle of anedge that mates to a plane of the cube block with both ends extending tothe plane area, and the first guide groove and the second guide groovehaving an “L” shape are made at right and left of the above travelspace.

Third, in a plane block, a travel space is formed at the middle of alateral side with its ends extending to a plane area, and a first guidegroove and a second guide groove having a circular shape are formed atright and left sides of the travel space.

Fourth, first spurs are formed at the outer surface of the guide pinfixed at the right and left sides of the casing and second spurs areformed at the inner surface of the first guide groove and the secondguide grooves. Additionally, sound is produced by contact between thefirst spurs and the second spurs.

According to the present disclosure, part of the casing enclosing theouter surface of a magnet is exposed through an open groove. This allowsthe magnet to make a direct connection without hindrance between magnetsand to deliver 3000 Gauss. The increased combining power of a magnetallows the mated blocks (cube block, plane block) to be difficult toseparate and saves cost by reducing the size of the magnet.

Furthermore, the direction of mating blocks can be set in any directionby securing the mating point of mating planes between blocks, since atraveling space is formed at the middle of the mating edge with bothends extended to the plane area and the magnet can move to the point onthe plane.

Additionally, a user can get an audible effect during play from thesound produced in the magnet movement when the first spurs of the guidepin at both right and left sides of the casing contact to the secondspurs of the first guide groove and the second guide groove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a magnet of a magnet block toy of oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a magnet installed at a plane of ablock of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross-section of a middle section when a magnetis installed at a plane of a block of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged perspective view of a middle section when amagnet installed at a plane of a block of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a magnet installed at a cube block ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged perspective view of a middle section when amagnet is installed at a cube block of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged cross-section of a middle section when a magnetis combined at a cube block of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view when cube blocks are stacked vertically.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

100: Cube block 100a: Plane block 200, 200a: Traveling space 300, 300a:First guide groove 310, 310a: Second guide groove 400, 400a: Secondspurs 500: Casing 510: Guide pin 520: Open groove 530: First spurs 600:Magnet

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Below are a more detailed explanation and practical examples of thepresent disclosure referring to the attached drawings.

Magnet (600) has N/S poles of a basic configuration, and provides actionto combine plane block (100 a) or cube block (100). The magnet used inthe block of the present embodiment has 3000 Gauss.

One difference of the present embodiment is much more effectiveness inusing the magnet block toy, which comprises a block (plane block (100 a)or cube block (100)), magnets (600), travel spaces (220 a) (200),casings (500), first guide grooves (300 a) (300) and second guidegrooves (310 a) (310), as shown in FIGS. 1 through 8.

Casing (500) incorporates a partially exposed cylindrical magnet andlongitudinal open groove (520) with guide pin (510) at both right andleft sides so that its magnet can emit force to the outside. Guide pin(510) in casing (500) is inserted into the first guide groove (300a),(300) and the second guide groove (310 a) (310) of plane block (100a) or cube block (100) and produces sound when it moves in the course ofcontacting the first guide groove and the second guide groove.

As a means of producing sound, first spurs (530) are located on theouter surface of guide pin (510) positioned at both right and left sidesof casing (500), and second spurs (400 a),(400) are formed on the innersurface of the first guide groove (300 a),(300) and the second guidegroove (300 a),(300), which are configured to make sound when firstspurs (530) and second spurs (400 a) (400) contact each other.

A casing incorporating magnet (600) as above is used for plane block(100 a) or cube block (100).

FIGS. 2 through 4 show a magnet installed at a plane block according tothe present disclosure.

For travel space (200 a) to be formed at the middle of the lateral sideof plane block (100 a), both ends of travel space (200 a) extend to theplane area and the first guide groove (300 a) and the second guidegroove (310 a) having a circular shape are formed at the right and leftsides of the travel space (200 a), and then guide pin (400 a) is formedat an inner surface of the first guide groove (300 a) and the secondguide groove (310 a), respectively, to produce sound when contactingfirst spurs (530) at the outer surface of guide pin (510).

At this point, a proper space between guide pin (510) and the firstguide groove (300 a) and the second guide groove (310 a) is desirable tokeep them from adhering tightly. For an instance, tightly combined guidepin (510) of the first guide groove (300 a) and the second guide groove(310 a) may restrict its free movement or may not produce sound.Therefore, a bigger inner diameter of the first guide groove (300 a) andthe second guide groove (310 a) than outer surface diameter of guide pin(510) allows free movement of guide pin (510) and production of sound bycontacting the second spurs (400).

Assembling casing (500) so configured to plane block (100 a) positionsbody of casing (500) in travel space (200 a) and guide pin (510) in thefirst guide groove (300 a) and the second guide groove (310 a), andarranges first spurs (530) of guide pin (500) and second spurs (400 a)of the first guide groove (300 a) and the second guide groove (310 a) toface each other.

Connecting plane block (100 a) with another plane block in thisarrangement increases the combining force since plane blocks combinewith each other by the exposed magnet (600) through an open groove.

After assembly, movement of a block produces sound by triggering contactwith first spurs (530) of guide pin (510) and second spurs (400 a) ofthe first guide groove (300 a) and the second guide groove (310 a), aswell as securing combining power due to its traveling in the extendedtravel space (200 a) to the plane area.

FIGS. 5 through 8 show a magnet installed at a cube block according tothis invention.

Travel space (200) positioned at the middle of the edge that formsboundary of each plane in cube block has its ends extended to the planearea allowing magnet (600) to travel to the plane area of cube block(100). This configuration not only increases combining power in matingplanes of cube block (100) but also enables changing the mating point ofcube block (100) due to magnet (600) being movable to the plane area ofcube block not fixed at the edge area.

The first guide groove (300) and the second guide groove (310) areformed at both right and left sides of travel space (200) and then guidepin (510) is inserted into the first guide groove (300) and the secondguide groove (310) so that casing (300) incorporating magnet (600) isguided along to travel space (200).

Second spurs (400) are arranged continuously on the inner surface of thefirst guide groove (300) and the second guide groove (310) to producesound upon contacting first spurs (530) of guide pin (510). At thispoint, a proper space between guide pin (510) and the first guide groove(300) and the second guide groove (310) is desirable to keep them fromadhering tightly.

For an instance, tightly combined guide pin (510), positioned at thefirst guide groove (300) and the second guide groove (310), may restrictits free movement or may not produce sound. Therefore, a bigger innerdiameter of the first guide groove (300) and the second guide groove(310) than outer surface of guide pin (510) allows for free movement ofguide pin (510) and production of sound by contacting second spurs(400).

In order to use the present embodiment so configured, first an edge partis selected that mates to each plane in cube block (100) and formstravel space (200) at the middle of the selected edge by extending bothends of travel space (200) to the plane area of cube block (100), andmakes the first guide groove (300) and the second guide groove (310)with second spurs (400) at the right and left sides of travel space(200).

After incorporating magnet (600) and preparing casing (500) integratedwith open groove (520) and guide pin (510), insertion of the above guidepin (510) into the first guide groove (300) and the second guide groove(310) positions casing (500) body on travel space (200) of cube block(100) and positions guide pin (510) at the first guide groove (300) andthe second guide groove (310) side respectively.

At this stage, mating another cube block on the top of cube block (100)combines cube blocks together by magnetic force through open groove(520). If a user moves a cube block, casing (500) body travels throughtravel space (200), and sound is produced when first spurs (530) ofguide pin (510) contact second spurs (400) of the first guide groove(300) and the second guide groove (310).

I claim:
 1. A magnetic block toy comprising: a partially exposedcylindrical magnet in a casing having a longitudinal open groove in thecasing with a guide pin at both right and left sides of the casing; anda block having a first guide groove and a second guide groove, the guidepin of the casing being inserted into the first guide groove and thesecond guide groove of the block and contacting the first guide grooveand the second guide groove when the magnet moves, thereby producingsound.
 2. The magnetic block toy of claim 1, wherein the block is a cubeblock and further comprising: a travel space formed at a middle of edgeof mating planes of the block with both ends extending to a plane area,the first guide groove and the second guide groove being formed in “L”shape at right and left sides of the travel space, respectively.
 3. Themagnetic block toy of claim 1, wherein the block is a plane block andfurther comprising: a travel space formed at a middle of the edge of theblock with both ends extending to a plane area, the first guide grooveand the second guide groove being formed in circular shape at right andleft sides of the travel space, respectively.
 4. The magnetic block toyof claim 1, further comprising: first spurs formed both at an outersurface of the guide pin fixed at both right and left sides of thecasing, and second spurs formed at an inner surface of the first guidegroove and the second guide groove, whereby sound is produced by contactbetween the first spurs and the second spurs.